


Everything You Ever

by SomeRainMustFall



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Desert Bluffs in general is just evil, M/M, Not Happy, Oops, Re-Education, References to Torture, Smiling God, Strexcorp is Evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-01 01:39:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4001077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeRainMustFall/pseuds/SomeRainMustFall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smile, Mr. Palmer.</p><p>You serve a Smiling God now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything You Ever

Cecil couldn’t help but wail when they dragged a very familiar, very limp body into the plain, bright yellow room, tossing it nonchalantly a few feet in front of him. He would have fallen to his knees had he not already been on them. “C-Carlos?” he murmured, reaching out, and then he jerked his hand back. He didn’t…he didn’t want to know if he was... He couldn’t _handle_ knowing if he was...

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn’t even try to stop them from falling. He felt a boot collide sharply with his side, knocking him the rest of the way to the ground, and he crawled over to the scientist, rolling him onto his back, brushing his perfect—tangled, dirty—hair out of his perfect—bruised, so bruised—face. “Carlos…Carlos, my love…” He put his hand below Carlos’s nose, and sighed heavily in relief because he was _breathing._

“We can very easily stop that,” they said, as if reading his mind. “We are done playing games, Mr. Palmer. Submit or he dies.”

Cecil shook violently.

“Submit.”

"Submit."

" _Submit_."

"Or."

"He."

" _Dies_."

Cecil lowered his head just a bit more, biting his lip, unable to take their chanting anymore. “Okay,” he finally whispered, nodding ever so slightly.

They went silent. “You agree?”

With a shivering inhalation, Cecil nodded, his hair falling into his face. He was sure he looked even more pathetic than he felt—if that was possible.

“Look up. Look up and agree. Look up and accept the Smiling God.”

Cecil did look up, albeit hesitantly. “Y-yes,” he said again, blinking very slowly, and when they grabbed his hair and hauled him to his feet he didn’t feel it. He only stared back at his lover, who looked so small and helpless on the too-cold floor. “I love you,” he called, though knew Carlos couldn’t hear him, and the ones who did only chuckled.

“You—you will let him _go_.”

A smack to the back of his head silenced him, and a metal collar was fastened around his neck, small needles piercing into his skin, making him try to cringe away, but hands too similar to his own, with fingernails too sharp, held him firmly in place.

“You do not give orders," the man said, "you obey orders. Repeat it.”

“I…”

“Do not make us go back and kill him now. I will put the gun in your hand. I will make you press the trigger. And then you will submit anyway.”

Cecil’s resolve had crumbled months ago. He had given up, even if he hadn’t accepted it, long before Carlos had even been captured. He hadn't thought he could fall any further into the Void of utter defeat. Yet at that, he did. He bowed his head and said, “I…I do not give orders…I obey orders.”

“Again.”

“I d-do not—”

“Don’t stutter!”

Cecil flinched. “I-I…”

The collar shocked him, then, just a bit, and he stiffened.

“Apologize and try again.”

“I’m sorry...” Cecil said, trying to keep his breathing steady. “I do not give orders…I obey orders.”

"Hm?"

"I do not give orders. I obey orders."

“Who do you obey orders from, Mr. Palmer?”

“…The Smiling God.”

“I didn’t catch that—what?”

“From the Smiling God.”

“ _What_ from the Smiling God?”

Cecil choked on his next words. “I obey orders from the Smiling God.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I obey orders from the Smiling God!”

“And…again.”

Cecil lost count of how many times he was made to stand there, still, and repeat that before it apparently satisfied the man, the agents, StrexCorp, but his mouth had gone numb and his legs had fallen asleep and he no longer hesitated, he no longer paused, he no longer stammered. In fact, he sounded more and more like he believed it each time..and maybe he did.

“Good boy.”

Cecil flinched again when the other patted his head, and he hadn’t noticed he was crying again. He just wanted Carlos…he just wanted Carlos _safe_.

“Will you—”

“ _Sir_.”

Cecil swallowed hard, forcing back his nausea. “Sir,” he echoed, “will you let Carlos go?”

“No more asking questions, either. You obey. You do not question.” The other pressed a button on a small device in his hand, and Cecil dropped to his knees when he felt a cold rush from the collar, his mind fogging over almost immediately, his strength, his energy…his will to do much of anything (as if he'd had very much left anyway)…it all faded. He was left kneeling there, staring blankly, waiting...waiting for something, something... _something_. 

“You serve the Smiling God now. That is wonderful, wonderful news, Cecil. No more of those unpleasant emotions! Nothing but happiness." He grasped Cecil's hand, pulling him to his feet, and Cecil did not fight it. He swayed a little, looking at himself through half-lidded eyes, and his mirror grinned. "You hear me,  Cecil? Happiness. You are happy. You will feel _nothing_ but _happiness_.  Now _smile_.”

Cecil smiled, and Cecil felt nothing but happiness. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is but I'm super proud of it...? It was oddly enough inspired by, yes, the song Everything You Ever from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Odd. But inspiring.


End file.
